WHIT DICKEY — Whit Dickey & The Tao Quartets : Peace Planet & Box Of Light (review)

WHIT DICKEY — Whit Dickey & The Tao Quartets : Peace Planet & Box Of Light album cover Album · 2019 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
snobb
AUM Fidelity offers two albums recorded by two different bands as a double set. Core duo of leader seasoned drummer Whit Dickey and alto saxophone player Rob Brown play on both, and them both are named Tao Quartet.

A first one, responsible for "Peace Planet" contains two stars - pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist William Parker. Whit Dickey who made a name playing with David S. Ware, was a regular member of Matthew Shipp bands from 1992 till now. Matthew Shipp and William Parker both were regular members of same Ware quartet as Whit Dickey. Rob Brown recorded two duet albums with Shipp, and he's a regular William Parker band's member for two and a half decade. All that means all quartet members have excellent communication on five well-composed pieces full of tunes and great solos of each member. Stylistically music of this album stays quite close to what William Parker play with his small bands - tuneful well-controlled adventurous jazz with lot of excellent piano playing coming from Matthew Shipp.

With no obvious leadership, "Peace Planet" is collaboration of four equal jazz improvisers of highest class, enough accessible listening to attract fans of any of members and multilayered and creative for repetitive listening (and far not only one).

Second set's album,"Box Of Light", is a way different. Dickey-Brown duo is completed till (Tao) quartet with trombonist Steve Swell and bassist Michael Bisio instead of William Parker. Sounding as much bigger band, this another Tao quartet play freer jazz often sounding as just spontaneous improvisations. Tons of brass coming from sax player and trombonist constantly soloing against each other with groovy rhythm section represents best free jazz in tradition of lofts era. Just as with many of similar recordings there are not much stays in memory after whole album's listening besides of excellent member's techniques and impressive interplay.

Looking from the label's point of view probably it's easier to sell two albums packed in one set than try selling each of them separately. From consumer's side the opinion on such packaging can be different though. There is no choice of purchasing only one of two set's albums, so buy both or don't buy at all. Surprisingly, during some last years it became a fashion of sort - finding new single release of William Parker, Wadada Leo Smith or some others renown avant-garde jazz artist is mission impossible. Be ready for double or triple set. Sometimes bigger sets contains music which has strong relation and must be presented in continuity, then it sounds at least understandable. Double sets containing two separate albums of different bands or triple sets filled till their size mixing new, archival and already released material in different combination smell a bit like marketing trick. Avant-garde jazz becomes commercial product?
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